Magnetic roll conveyer



Feb. 14, 1950 s. N. FINDLAY ET AL MAGNETIC ROLL CONVEYER 4 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed Sept. 12, 1946 IN V EN TOR.

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MAGNETIC ROLL CONVEYER Filed Sept. 12, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,W H JNVENTOR.

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MAGNETIC ROLL CONVEYER Filed Sept. 12, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 N 00 g z.

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MAGNETIC ROLL CONVEYER Filed Sept. 12, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. Jomuz/ NF/hd/ay 0/20 BY Lore/2 /\.f7ages Patented Feb. 14, 1950 MAGNETIC ROLL CON VEYER Samuel N. Findlay and Loren A. Hayes, Elyrla, Ohio, assignors to National Tube Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application September 12,1946, Serial No. 696,596

5 Claims. (Cl. 198-41) This invention relates to an improved magnetic roll conveyor for use in conveying magnetizable articles. The roll conveyor 01 the present invention displays its greatest--advantages when employed for conveying elongated articles in the direction of their axes.

The invention has among its objects the provision of an improved magnetic roll conveyor characterized by its simplicity of construction and the economy and ease with which it is maintained.

A further object of the invention lies in the provision of a magnetic roll conveyor having small flux leakage and in which the flux is distributed in the article being conveyed in substantially the optimum manner.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an improved magnetic roll having greatly improved wearing qualities.

These and further objects of the invention will be more fully apparent in the following description.

It is often necessary to convey magnetizable articles, for example, long lengths of iron or steel.

pipe or rods, without employing the usual pinch rolls, gripping means, or other devices frictionally engaging the articles to overcome their inertia and move them in the direction of their axes. Threaded pipe, for instance, has been found to be damaged by such gripping and forwarding means since their engagement deforms the threads on the pipe. For the purpose of conveying such articles, magnetic roll conveyors have been employed, such conveyors depending upon the attraction of a magnetic field to hold the articles in tight frictional engagement with the converging rolls upon which they rest.

The most widely used magnetic roll conveyor for such purpose has been one in which magnetic coils are incorporated within the roll itself. the coils being powered through lead wires from rotating slip rings attached to the roll shaft, such slip rings cooperating with stationary brushes. Such devices have been costly, however, because of the necessity of such slip rings and brushes and the maintenance costs of such devices have been high. Furthermore, in such designs it is impossible to produce the optimum flux distribution in the article being conveyed by coils positioned within the roll, and the magnetic leakage is excessive.

The magnetic roll conveyor of the present invention provides a magnetic roll upon which the article to be conveyed rests, such roll being positioned between two stationary pole piece's located longitudinally of the article, such pole pieces being normally spaced from the article. The magnetic circuit is such that the roll forms a magnetic pole with one polarity, and the two stationary pole pieces between which it is positioned 2 are of the same polarity but opposite from that of the roll.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the following drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the magnetic roll conveyor assembly, portions of the side guide and roll supporting bearing being omitted; the view in Figure 1 is taken along the line II of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a view in vertical cross-section through the axis of the magnetic conveyor roll, such view being taken along the line IIII of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in plan of the apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a view in vertical cross-section through the axis of the magnetic conveyor roll of a modification of the apparatus for conveying flat articles; and

Figure 5 is a view in plan of the modified apparatus shown in Figure 4.

The embodiment of the apparatus shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 is designed to convey pipes made of magnetizable material, such as pipes of iron and steel. Such device may be used to advantage in the conveying of pipes to hot dip coating machines although it is to be understood that its use is not to be so limited. In the drawing there is shown one magnetic roll assembly with idle rolls on either side, but it is to be understood that any number of magnetic roll assemblies may be employed, depending upon the weight of the article to be conveyed and the length of the path which it must traverse. The magnetic roll conveyor assembly is supported on two parallel longitudinally extending structural members 2 and 4 attached to a base (not shown) and suitably cross braced by members (not shown) below the conveyor roll assembly. A motor support 6 extends parallel to supports 2 and 4 and may, if a plurality of magnetic conveyor rolls are employed, extend continuously for the support of the plurality of motors.

The magnetic conveyor roll, designated generally by the reference character 8, is supported on and keyed to the driving shaft 10 which extends through and is supported in bearings in the support 2, and through the side guide l3, which is secured to support 2, and at its opposite end through the side guide [5 and the roll supporting plate It, in which it is also supported in bearings (not shown). Plate I 2 is secured to support 4 by a plurality of studs ll, of which one is shown in Figure 2. The roll supporting and driving shaft I0 is driven by electric motor i 6, the shaft l8 of which is connected to the driving shaft Ill by means of a flexible coupling 20.

The magnetic conveyor roll 8 consists of a main body portion 22 having an end flange 24 thereon and a part 26'of reduced diameter. The roll body is provided with the cap 2|. the inner end of which fits over the outer end of part 28 of body portion 22. Both parts 22 and 28 are made of non-magnetic material such as brass. As shown. the cap is secured to part 22 by means of countersunk studs 30. Secured upon the reduced diameter portion 26 and clamped between the flange 24 and the inner end of cap 2! is the soft steel serrated or grooved ring 22 which forms the central magnetic pole of the device magnetic roll assembly. Roll 8 is secured to shaft II by means of the key 33, the set screw 24 in body portion 22 preventing the roll .f-rom moving longitudinally with respect to the shaft.

In order to function efllciently as a magnetic pole the ring 32 is, as stated, of soft steel. Such steel, however, would wear excessively through contact with the articles conveyed if it were not protected. In the present device such protection takes the form of hard metal inserts 38 positioned in equally spaced longitudinal grooves 24 in the outer surface of the ring. Inserts 38, which may be of a hard metal such as the cobalt base alloy marketed under the trade-mark stellitef: thus prevent the pipe 40 being conveyed from wearing the soft steel of the ring where-such steel extends to the outer surface of the ring between inserts 24. The outer surface of ring 32 is made generally to conform to a portion of the cross-section of the article being conveyed. For rounds the outer surface of the ring is made with the dished shape, in an axial plane, shown in Figure 2.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 idle grooved rolls 42 and 44 are shown supporting the pipe on either side of the magnetic roll. The means providing the magnetic circuit in which the roll is located is mounted on support 2 by means of the bracket having a vertical leg 46 and a horizontal leg 48. Bolts 41 secure the leg 46 to the support 2. The central magnetic pole piece 50 is supported upon leg 48 through the medium of non-magnetic shim supports 52 and is retained thereon by the non-magnetic bolts 54. The upper face of pole piece 50 is of a shape conforming to the outer surface of the ring 32 of the magnetic roll, as shown in Figure 2, and may be positioned close to the ring by interposing a suitable number and thickness of shims 52 between its bottom surface and leg 48.

Pole piece 50 is provided with a horizontal bore 56 positioned in a vertical plane midway of the ends of the magnetic roll. A horizontal magnetic core 58 extends through pole 50 fitting closely therein and being retained by means of the short stud 6D threaded in pole piece 50. An aperture 62 in the shims 52 gives access to the rear end of stud 60 as with a hexagonal wrench fitting into a corresponding opening in the rear end of the stud.

Two magnetic coils 64 and 66 are provided, the coils being located over the opposite arms of core 58, with one on each side of the magnetic roll. Each coil is shielded, coil 64 being provided with the metal shield 68 and coil 66 with the metal shield l0, and each is provided with metal shielding nipples 69 and ii, respectively, through which the power leads to the coils are brought. As above explained, the coils are connected so as to make the central pole piece 50, and consequently the magnetic conveyor roll, of one polarity and the opposite ends of core 58 of the same polarity, but different from that of the roll. In one embodiment the roll is made the north pole and the two outer ends of core 58 are both south poles.

Pole pieces are provided for each of the ends 4 ofcoreILthatattheleftinFlgurelbeingdes ignated I2 and that at the right 14. Such pole' pieces have apertures 18 and II, respectively, through the expanded lower ends thereof for reception upon the ends of the core ll. pole pieces I2 and I4 being retained by nuts II and 22, respectiveiy. Studs 4i and 43, respectively, further secure the pole pieces 12 and 14 in the desired vertical plane. The pole pieces are provided with inclined arms 44 and It, respectively, of gradually decreasing cross-section in a vertical direction and with horizontal upper faces of generally triangular shape, the apex of each triangle being positioned adjacent the magnetic roll. Although in normal operation the material being conveyed does not contact the upper faces of the pole pieces, in some instances the material may momentarily come in contact therewith. In order to prevent the wear which would be occasioned thereby, faces 88 and 90 are each protected by a thin layer of hard material 88' and 90', respectively, similar to the inserts 28 and which may be flowed on and welded to such upper faces.

Because of the shielding of the magnetic coils and the isolation of the magnetic portion of the roll and the central pole piece adjacent thereto from other parts of the apparatus, the device has little, if any, flux leakage. The path of the flux on both sides of the roll is from the outer end of the coil through the wide end of the pole piece attached thereto and up through the pole piece arm of gradually decreasing area and thence into the work piece. Since an occasional contact with the work to the pole piece does not wear its hard metal surface unduly, theair gap between the pole piece and the work may be made very small, and thus the flux leakage at such gap will be negligible. The flux then passes through the article being conveyed down through the ring 32 into the central pole piece and through the coil. As a result, the flux acting upon the work piece is concentrated at its line of contact with the magnetic roll and at the pole pieces, so that it is held very efficiently in contact with such roll and slippage is prevented.

Figures 4 and 5 show a modified apparatus for use particularly in conveying flat elongated material such as skelp. These two figures correspond generally to Figures 2 and 3, the apparatus being generally the same except for the change in shape of the ring of magnetic metal on the magnetic roll, the face of the central pole piece adjacent thereto, and the upper faces of the outer pole pieces. In Figures 4 and 5 the magnetic roll 8' is provided with a cylindrical soft steel ring 92 having grooves 94 in its outer surfaces. Hard metal inserts 96 are provided in said grooves, the outer surface of ring 92 being cylindrical. Skelp 98 conveyed thereby lies flat on ring 92 and in intimate contact therewith. The central pole piece 99 has an upper face in the form of a portion of a cylinder, such face being positioned close to the outer surface of ring I2. Because of the extensive area of such flat pieces being conveyed, it is possible to use upper faces of the outer pole pieces 12 and 14 of relatively large area. As shown in Figure 5 such upper faces Hill and I02 are roughly of rectangular form with the ends thereof adjacent the magnetic roll, however, being of slightly less width than that remote from the roll. The upper faces I00 and I02 are provided with hard metal surfaces, iii! and I02, respectively, welded thereto.

1 Whereas we have disclosed preferred embodiments of the magnetic roll conveyor of the present invention it is to be understood that variations are possible and that our invention is defined by the following claims.

We claim:

1. A device for conveying elongated magnetizable articles comprising a support furnishing bearings axially aligned in a substantially horizontal direction, a magnetizable conveyor roll rotatably mounted in said bearings and adapted to convey articles in a path tangential to the upper edge of its circumference, means spaced from said roll for additionally supporting the articles, drive means for rotating said roll, fixed magnetic means carried by said support and transmitting magnetic flux to said roll and thereby making the upper edge of the circumference a magnetic pole, and magnetizable means carried by said magnetic means furnishing a pole of polarity opposite that of the upper edge of the roll circumference proximate to the article carrying path and spaced from the upper edge of the roll circumference.

2. A device for conveying elongated magnetizable articles comprising a fixed support furnishing bearings axially aligned in a substantially horizontal direction, a magnetizable conveyor roll rotatably mounted in said bearings and adapted to convey articles in a path tangential to the upper edge of its circumference, means spaced from said roll for additionally supporting the articles, drive means for rotating said roll, a pair of magnets carried by said support at opposite sides of the axis of rotation of said roll, said magnets having inwardly directed poles of like polarity facing each other, magnetizable means between said inwardly directed poles and said roll transmitting magnetic flux to said roll and thereby making the upper edge of the circumference a pole of the same polarity as said inwardly directed poles, said magnets having outwardly directed poles of polarity opposite that of said inwardly directed poles, and magnetizable means connected to said magnets at said outwardly directed poles and extending to the proximity of the article carrying path and furnishing poles of polarity opposite that of the upper edge of the roll circumference.

3. A device for conveying elongated magnetizable articles comprising a fixed support furnishing bearings axially aligned in a substantially horizontal direction, a magnetizable conveyor roll rotatably mounted in said bearings and adapted to convey articles in a path tangential to the upper edge of its circumference, means spaced from said roll for additionally supporting the articles. drive means for rotating said roll, a pair of magnets carried by said support beneath said roll and at opposite sides of the axis of rotation thereof. said magnets havin inwardly directed poles of like polarity facing each other, a magnetizable insert between said inwardly directed poles and said roll and having a concave upper face complementary to said roll. said insert transmitting magnetic flux to said roll and thereby making the upper edge of the circumference a pole of the same polarity as said inwardly directed poles, said magnet having outwardly directed poles of polarity opposite that of said inwardly directed poles, and magnetiz- 7 able bars connected to said magnets at said outwardly directed poles and extending to the proximity of the article carrying path at opposite sides of said roll and furnishing poles of polarity opposite that of the upper edge of the roll circumference.

4. A device forconveying elongated magnetizable articles comprising a fixed support furnishing bearings axially aligned in a substantially horizontal direction, a magnetizable conveyor roll rotatably mounted in said bearings and adapted to convey articles in a path tangential to the upper edge of its circumference, rotatable means at opposite sides of said roll for additionally supporting the articles, drive means for rotating said roll, a continuous magnetizable core carried by said support beneath said roll and transverse to the axis of rotation, a pair of solenoids on said core at opposite sides of the axis of rotation, said solenoids having windings adapted to furnish inwardly directed poles of like polarity facing each other, a magnetizable insert received on said core between said solenoids and having a concave upper face complementary to said roll, said insert transmitting magnetic flux to said roll and thereby making the upper edge of the circumference a pole of the same polarity as said inwardly directed poles, said solenoids furnishing outwardly directed poles on said core of polarity opposite that of said inwardly directed poles, and bars carried by the ends of said core outside said solenoids and extending to the proximity of the article carrying path at opposite sides of said roll and furnishing poles of polarity opposite that of the upper edge of the roll circumference.

5. A device for conveying elongated magnetizable articles comprising a fixed support furnishing bearings axially aligned in a substantially horizontal direction, a conveyor roll rotatably mounted in said bearings and having an annular soft steel segment around its circumference and harder wear resistant inserts in said segment, said roll being adapted to convey articles in a path tangential to the upper edge of its circumference, rotatable means spaced from said roll at opposite sides thereof for additionally supporting the articles, drive means for rotating said roll, a pair of electromagnets carried by said support at opposite sides of the axis of rotation of said roll, said magnets having inwardly directed poles of like polarity facing each other, magnetizable means between said inwardly directed poles and said roll transmitting magnetic flux to said annular segment and thereby making the upper edge of the circumference a pole of the same polarity as said inwardly directed poles, said electromagnets having outwardly directed poles of polarity opposite that of said inwardly directed poles, and magnetizable means connected to said electromagnets at said outwardly directed poles and extending to the proximity of the article carrying path and furnishing poles of polarity opposite that of the upper edge of the roll circumierence.

SAMUEL N. FINDLAY. LOREN A. HAYES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 0 Number Name Date 1,071,879 Clark Sept. 2, 1913 1,130,708 Coey Mar. 9. 1915 1,659,848 Wilson Feb. 21, 1928 1.937.991 Stearns Dec. 5, 1933 BEST AVAILABLE com Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,497,162 February 14, 1950 SAMUEL N. FINDLAY ET' AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the abut/6 numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 1, line 37, for the word converging read conveying;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the,- same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 13th day of June, A. D. 1950.

[saw] THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

